‘Little Vigan’ in Gapan City closed amid rise in COVID-19 cases

The “Little Vigan” of Gapan City has been drawing crowds due to its ancestral houses and cobblestone streets. But the area has been closed as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus disease. Photo by Armand Galang

GAPAN CITY –– The Vigan-like “Lumang Gapan,” a crowd-drawing site here, has been ordered closed indefinitely due to the rising cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the city, officials said.

Mayor Emerson Pascual said the city registered a record-high 43 active cases on Monday, March 22, prompting him and the local inter-agency task force to close the so-called “Little Vigan” along with the nearby plaza and night market.

The surge in infections was detected after the local government offered free swab tests, Pascual said.

“This is, in fact, very alarming. I’m worried,” Pascual said in a video posted on his Facebook page.

But he said no single case of transmission was recorded in these three public places based on recent contact tracing.

Pascual said they started the distribution on Wednesday of free face masks and shields to residents as they appealed to the public to adhere to health protocols strictly.

LZB